martiniques_mommy

I had success with our own version of The Price Is Right. The department collected empty food, beverage, personal care containers (i.e. shampoo bottles, cereal boxes, empty soda cans) basically any item you think you would find at a local grocery store. We made sure the containers were cleaned and empty and then assigned prices to the items using today's prices. We started each resident out with $30 in play money and they were to go "shopping" without going over the amount given. The person that came the closest would be the winner. We would not put out all items, but a small variety in which they could shop with. After we had a winner, we would rotate new items to be chosen. It is really fun to see how many residents would be in awe as to how much prices have changed over the years. This also leads to another activity programming discussion the change in prices of various items over the years and what the items were used for, etc.

Since our participants love to eat, I make certain I have plenty of healthy and cold treats. We have fresh watermelon quite a bit. I make fruit smoothies, and the diabetics will have sugar free ice cream. I also gear my art programs around the heat including creating ice cream magnet crafts, paper fans, etc.

Do you have a small outdoor area that people can sit and chat in small groups or 1:1? Do you have a Social Worker that may be able to help and talk with people on scheduled days during scheduled times? Also, sometimes the clients can even chat with the Nurse. Hope this helps.

For the month of August, we will be having a Dog Day of Summer Social with watermelon and lemonade and a Luau. Do you have any local carnivals or fairs? Oh, we also go to the free Family Fun movies held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the theater about 15-20 minutes from the facility.

I think the hardest for me is not on the list. It is the progress note. I am not 100% sure if I am documenting enough or too much. What to add, what not to add! Is there a template out there somewhere?! :-?

Does anyone have ideas to help movtivate your staff when budget cuts are forcing them to cut back on their hours?

I am in need of suggestions for recognizing resident birthday individually. Our facility has a monthly birthday party to celebrate each resident within that month collectively, but I was wondering what could be done for each resident individually on their birthday. For now, I give them a handwritten card from the Activity Department, and if we have a donation, a stuffed animal. The balloon gets tricky because some people are allergic to latex and I believe the string on the balloon may cause problems to the people with impaired thinking. Are there any other suggestions of small, inexpensive items that I can give to each resident that can be neutral for both male and female? Thanks :-)

Has anyone tried the Jingo "Bingo" games? Residents usually have a good response to them. The games come in different catergories such as Food, Springtime, Birthday, etc. The games are pictures only (yes it is geared to all age groups) and each of the callers cards have clues so the person (s) can guess the items you are talking about. It is actually a bit harder than regular Bingo since you have to search for the picture and also answer a bit of trivia to achieve the correct answer. I did have a "Bingo Oops" with the Bible Jingo. This is the first time in 8 years that I have had a resident say that they did not feel it was right to "gamble" with the Bible because it was sacred.

This was actually one of the best Activity weeks I have ever had. We were fortunate enough to have a gift a day which included pins, bags, stationary sets, mugs, etc. We also ended the week with a luncheon given by Administration and the best present of all was a quilt hand decorated by staff and residents! :-)

Have you tried using scarves or a parachute? As mentioned before there are many good exercise programs on cassette as well as video. To liven my exercise program, I get the residents at my facilitiy to suggest an exercise for all to do. (Of course within moderation).

You may be able to do a sand dig for the visually impaired residents. We used a container that could set on a table, but it was deep enough to hide items such as a a pair of plastic sunglasses, seashell (not with pointy edges), etc.

Hello. I need some help. I have not worked in a nursing home since 1998 and now I am back working in LTC. I have mainly been working at Medical Adult Day Programs and the documentation is different. Does anyone have a sample care plan or progress note I can use as a guide? I want to make certain that I am using the correct terminology for the documentation Thanks! :-)

Hello. I recently began working at a nursing home that has residents from 22-100 years of age. I am really in need of suggestions for the younger population. Thank you!